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Haven't been here in a while. But if you see my postings you'll notice why.

Some backstory on my situtation. I tried to change my spark plugs on my newly purchased 2008 Honda Fit about a year ago. I found one of my coil packs being held to the engine with a clamp... Upon further inspection, I found a bolt snapped in half which was supposed to hold the coil pack in. I called the dealership and they said they didn't do it, so they didn't own up to it After fighting with them, I brought the vehicle to my nearest dealership to fix the clamp (remove the broken bolt with an easy out and redrill the hole) After getting everything done, I turned the car over and immediately heard trickling behind my dash and saw my radio needed to be reset After 4 months I brought the vehicle to my friendly mechanic since I needed a tire plugged and the rest of the coolant in the engine that the dealership forgot to do. He said whoever took your engine apart broke the head gasket and I should return it (there was a leak visible from the outside of the engine) I brought it back to the Honda dealership I said it was their fault since opening the engine and replacing a head gasket, and you obviously check it with a straight edge. They said since the vehicle was brought in to remove a broken bolt, they didn't check it (nor did the machine shop) and none was their fault. They showed me the engine and said the previous owner installed a helicoil which must have broken off some metal fragments into my engine, which cracked the head. You can see the crack on cylinder number 2.




They gave me some options. They said they could replace the whole engine for $2,600 with an engine with 70,000 miles or replace the head for about $2,000. Or I could have the machine shop try to weld the crack for about the same price. Should I get an engine swap somewhere else or should I trade the car in for a Ford Focus/ Hyundai elantra. Thanks for reading!


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Feel sorry for you. What stealership is that, so we all know to steer clear. They see a crack head when they open it and kept quiet about it. Not even safe.

If you think your going to have other issue down the road, then trade it in.
I would do a full swap cause your internal could be out of spec, depending on your milage and use. Seeing as how shitty that place sound, they probably reuse stuff that need to be change. Find a reputatable shop and ask around for price.

 

I got the car at a Subaru dealer in somerset, Ma.New & Used Subaru Car Dealer in Somerset, MA | Somerset Subaru - Serving Providence, Warwick RI, Fall River, & New Bedford MA I probably should have noticed why nobody bought it in a few months.

Everything else on the car is okay, except for a water leak that happens in the trunk. I may want to trade it in. I don't know what price I'll get for it because of the engine, but it has brand new tires, body is in great condition, and is a sport.

 

Many wrecking yards will do a swap out whole motor for a couple hundred bucks plus the motor.

But,, coil packs are attached to the valve cover, why did they take the head off to fix the valve cover?

 

Thanks for the reply dwtwaylorpdx,

I may be getting my terminology confused but there was a broken bolt that held the coil pack in place. I brought it to my nearest dealership and they tried to use an easy out and ended up cracking the hole. They then had to send the whole piece (head or valve cover?) off to a machine shop to weld a new metal piece and construct a new hole. Now I have an alright hole which can hold down my coil pack/spark plug to a pre-damaged helicoil which supposedly doesn't even work

 

Hmm. Weird. If its the coil pack to valve cover bolt you shoulda at worst been out a valve cover, if it was the valve cover to head bolt. Once they touched it they shoulda owned the head. Unless they had you sign off on the risk. They should have just pulled the head and had the machine shop extract the bolt if they couldn't just grab it with a stud remover.. And any time you pull a head you have the shop check the surface for flat, if they didn't,,, they own it in my opinion..

 

Everything in the album is one piece (except for the mechanisms in picture #7). If you see in picture #6 (I circled the piece and reuploaded it) this is the supposed piece they cracked which had the broken bolt in it.

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the piece is the bolt hole which secures coil pack #2. All the others were fine.

 

Hmm. wild. Now I have to go look at mine at home the 07 and 08 should be the same.
My coil packs are in the center of the valve cover I think.. But now I gotta look. I swapped the coils a couple months back.

 

The coil pack is attached to the cylinder head and not the valve cover. So probably the head was taken out to be fixed at a machine shop. They did something wrong and now it leaks and they don't want to claim responsibility. That is just not right.

Personally, I would just trade it in for something else. Just not on a Focus with a Powershift transmission. They are full of problems.

 

Thanks Howdy,

There was no leak until they opened it up, but I still have no idea how it started. Did the machine shop put it into a tight vice and warp it a bit?

I am looking at a newer hatch with manual transmission but don't know where to go.

 

Difficult to speculate on what happened. Judging by the photos, looks like #3 is damaged and it could potentially leak. Probably needs a new head. How is the top of piston #3?

 

They never told me. I don't know if its because they're stupid or they're trying to get me to buy another engine from them.

 

I have changed the plugs on a CR-V and done similar to the bolt. Made Dad real unhappy. Lucky he is around to save my bacon, I'm not strong enough to use a screw extractor ...
Good luck!!